Does Sibelius have anything like the keypad-type note entry that Finale has?  I've tried using Sib recently and I'll hit a note on my keyboard and it will enter it and then it'll take me 2 minutes to get the note out.  I know I'm Sibelius-stupid right now, but I'm just curious.

Yes you can two-hand entry pretty quick using the numpad and regular keys.  The numpad gives you quick access to note durations and common articulations, and you can simply hit the appropriate note letter number to place the note (E for E, A for A, etc.).  If it drops it in the wrong octave you can either hit cmd+up/down (ctrl+up/down in windows) to shift the octaves up or down also.  Just make sure Window -> Keypad is visible.  That keypad is mapped directly to your numpad and you can hit the + key on the numpad to scroll between palettes.

The important key is remembering not to ";doodle"; on your midi keyboard when the cursor is actively waiting to receive note input. I think that may be where you're getting frustrated. Hit the ";Esc"; key a couple times before doodling, then when you're ready to enter notes, activate the rhythm key (on the keypad), and enter away. After some time getting used to this, it becomes pretty instinctive.

Ah yeah I misinterpreted your question a little 311 (keyboard vs. keyboard), thanks Jim that's the information he needs.  Also, if I just want to doodle but not bust out of entry mode I'll often just click my desktop (to drop application focus) and it'll still midi-thru and let me play without changing state in Sibelius, but I'm not sure if that works the same way in PC land.

I have an issue that someone might be able to help with.  I have recently moved from a Windows laptop to a new MacBook Pro.  When I connect my usb external keypad (targus), the accent function (forward slash key) does not function.  I have to go and mouse click the accent button on the on-screen keypad to make it add accents.  This of course slows my writing way down.  Does anyone have a solution for this or have also encountered this issue?

Thanks.
Tony Sawyer
tsawyer@elon.edu
Director of Bands
Elon University
Elon, NC
336-278-5700

External Keypads can be a bit finicky in what functions work well with Sibelius. For a list of their recommended external keypads, check this post on their help center:

http://www.sibelius.com/cgi-bin/helpcenter/show.pl?id=376&languageid=1&searchid=1693063

Thanks Jim.  That is very helpful.